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Svein Hasund: Single-payer no panacea

Posted:
10/18/2016 07:10:10 PM MDT

Re: Margaret C. Drury's letter ("Single-payer health care works," Daily Camera, Oct. 10): I grew up in Norway, lived more than five years in the U.K. and worked in Canada for about 10 years; all have "single-payer" health care. What is very interesting is that the system works well in case of emergencies since you do not have to wait in line for treatment; however, for "convenience" surgeries (hip / knee replacements, shoulder surgery, etc.) one has to wait in line and often it never becomes "your turn" because of all the other emergencies. People wait in line for years and some die before they get the surgery, or they use their private health insurance to get timely surgery, or they come to the USA to have the surgery. My family and I always had supplementary private insurance (a recommendation in all the previously mentioned countries) to ensure timely treatment. And as we all know the income taxes in the mentioned countries (as well as all other countries with single-payer government-run health care) are much higher than we currently have in Colorado and the USA.

Before you decide for or against the ballot initiative, make sure you fully understand what is happening in the countries that do have a single-payer health-care system.

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